Influence of 3D printed porous aluminum anode structure on electrochemical performance

Abstract

Aluminium-air (Al-air) batteries have been considered as one of the most promising next-generation energy storage devices. In this study, we investigated the effect of structural changes in the main body of porous aluminium anode on the electrochemical performance under the constraints of the 3D printing process using both simulation and experimental methods. By analysing the simulation results under the constraint of 3D printing process, we found that the variation of the base fillet radius affects the dimensional deviation of the porous aluminium anode. As the radius of the fillet increases, the degree of warpage deformation gradually decreases. For this reason, we experimentally verified the self-corrosion rate, electrochemical and discharge properties of aluminium anodes under the same process parameters. The test results are consistent with the simulation analysis. With the increase of fillet radius, the self-corrosion rate of anode gradually decreases and the electrochemical activity gradually increases. Meanwhile, the discharge voltage was as low as 1.55 V in the periphery without rounded corners, and increased by 1.3 % and 3.2 % when the periphery radius was 1 mm and 2 mm, respectively. This research result provides a new method for other researchers to further improve the overall performance of aluminium-air batteries.